DEKRA Becomes First Accredited EU AI Act Certification Body for Biometric Systems

DEKRA has become the first accredited certification body authorized to conduct conformity assessments on AI biometric systems under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, with accreditation granted by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA).

The accreditation covers three categories of AI biometric systems classified as high-risk under the EU AI Act: remote biometric identification systems that identify individuals at a distance without active participation; emotion recognition systems that analyze biometric data to infer a person’s emotional state or intentions; and biometric categorization systems that classify individuals based on physical traits or behavioral attributes.

DEKRA, a Stuttgart-based testing, inspection, and certification firm, can now certify that products in these categories meet the EU AI Act requirements for security, reliability, and transparency before they enter the European market. The EU AI Act entered into force in 2024, with mandatory compliance for high-risk AI systems arriving in August 2026.

Fernando Hardasmal, DEKRA Executive Vice President and Head of Digital and Product Solutions, said: “Being the first laboratory accredited under the EU AI Act means that manufacturers of AI Biometric Systems can rely on us to navigate the most demanding regulatory requirements, with confidence that their products meet the bar for security, reliability, and digital trust.”

Manufacturers of AI biometric systems selling into the European Union face growing pressure to demonstrate conformity before products reach the market. The August 2026 deadline creates a compressed timeline for vendors of facial recognition, emotion analysis, and biometric categorization systems operating in or targeting EU markets.

The accreditation extends DEKRA’s Digital Trust Services portfolio and follows the broader enforcement calendar of the EU AI Act, which places biometric AI systems among its highest-risk categories due to their capacity to identify, monitor, and categorize individuals at scale.

Sources: DEKRA

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By Ji-seo Kim